University of Nebraska

MONDAY, Sept. 30, 2024 -- In what could be the first cases of bird flu spreading between humans in the United States, a group of potential H5N1 infections in Missouri has now grown to eight. Antibody tests to confirm any H5N1 infection are still pending. After a patient with bird flu was hospitalized last month, state and federal health officials first determined the patient may have infected one household member and two hospital workers. However, "Missouri has since identified four additional health care workers who later developed mild respiratory symptoms," the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a health alert issued Friday. "One of these workers was in the higher risk category and provided a blood specimen for H5 antibody testing," the agency added. "Three of these workers are among 94 workers who were exposed to the hospitalized case of avian influenza A[H5] after droplet precautions were instituted [i.e., lower risk exposure]; blood specimens for those who became symptomatic have been collected for H5 antibody testing at CDC." If cases of bird flu among these health care workers are confirmed with antibody testing, it could mean the virus may be starting to spread among humans. Worldwide, most cases have come from close contact with infected birds. “We should be very concerned at this point,” Dr. James Lawler , co-director of the University of Nebraska’s Global Center for Health Security, told the New York Times . “Nobody should be hitting the panic button yet, but we should really be devoting a lot of resources into figuring out what’s going on.” If bird flu infection is confirmed among these patient contacts, “it means the virus is inching closer and closer to what would be a real pandemic virus,” Lawler added. “That is when Pandora’s box is open.” There have been 13 other confirmed cases of human bird flu confirmed in this country since an outbreak in dairy cattle first surfaced in March. However, all of those cases were linked to infected dairy cows or poultry. Meanwhile, Missouri has not reported any infected herds, and the hospitalized patient had no known contact with cows or birds. The Missouri patient, who had underlying medical conditions, was first hospitalized in August and tested positive for the bird flu virus. The person has since recovered, the CDC said in a statement on the case. Earlier this month, CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Nirav Shah stated on a media call that none of the patient’s close contacts showed signs or symptoms of illness, calling the case a possible “one-off.” To try to determine whether bird flu is spreading between humans, the CDC has drawn blood samples from the Missouri patient and the household contact, to test for antibodies that could point to an H5N1 infection. Still, test results could take several weeks, the agency noted. Dr. Matthew Binnicker , director of the clinical virology laboratory at the Mayo Clinic, said the Missouri patient and the household contact may have been infected by the same source, or one might have transmitted it to the other. Both of those scenarios point to potential human-to-human spread. “I’m really hoping that they ultimately find out that there was some likely animal exposure, because the alternative is a little bit scary,” Binnicker told NBC News . But Dr. William Schaffner , an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., said if the virus has transmitted from person to person, it doesn’t necessarily mean it has become more transmissible among humans. “Bird flu infections can be transmitted in a very limited fashion to people who have very close contact with the original patient,” Schaffner told NBC News. “That doesn’t mean that virus has picked up the genetic capacity to spread readily.” Still, all the previous bird flu infections were among people who worked around cows and poultry, so the Missouri case raises concerns about human transmission of the virus. Bird flu has now been detected in over 200 dairy herds in 14 states ; it has also been found in commercial and backyard flocks and in wild birds. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

Provides for the Addition of 22NW Nominees Jason Aryeh and Matthew Korenberg, as Well as Humberto Antunes and Paul Johnson, to the BoardCHASKA, Minn., July 01, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ: LFCR) (“Lifecore” or the “Company”), a fully integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (“CDMO”), today announced it has reached a cooperation agreement (the “Agreement”) with 22NW, LP (“22NW”), which provides for the addition of Humberto Antunes, Jason Aryeh, Paul Johnson and Matthew Korenberg to the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of the Company effective immediately following the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “2023 Annual Meeting”). Katrina Houde, chair of the Board’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, stated, “We are pleased to have reached this Agreement, which will allow us to avoid a costly and distracting proxy fight and focus on the execution of our business plan. The Board looks forward to working with its new members to continue overseeing efforts to build a solid foundation for Lifecore’s future success, working with our recently installed CEO, Paul Josephs. We welcome Humberto, Jason, Paul and Matt to the boardroom and believe their perspectives will be beneficial as we continue to do what is best for all stockholders.” Ms. Houde continued, “We have a strong Board that includes representatives of significant stockholders and individuals with experience critical to overseeing the Company’s strategy. We believe this composition reinforces alignment between the Board and our stockholders, and positions us well to deliver value for all stakeholders.” Aron English, founder of 22NW stated, “We appreciate the constructive engagement we have had with the Board and believe that its new configuration will even better support Lifecore’s execution of its business plan and lead to improved stockholder value. Humberto, Jason, Paul and Matt are highly qualified and possess relevant experience and expertise that will make them important voices in the boardroom going forward.” The Agreement includes the following key terms: 22NW will withdraw its notice of nominations of director candidates at the 2023 Annual Meeting, as well as its demand for a special meeting of stockholders to vote on an advisory proposal to declassify the Board.Nathaniel Calloway, a partner at 22NW, will resign as one of the two Series A Board designees immediately prior to the 2023 Annual Meeting.Humberto Antunes, Jason Aryeh, Paul Johnson and Matthew Korenberg will join as Board observers within 10 days of the execution of the Agreement.Messrs. Antunes, Johnson and Korenberg will be appointed as directors immediately following the 2023 Annual Meeting and Mr. Aryeh will be added to the slate of the Company’s nominees for election at the 2023 Annual Meeting as a Series A Board designee.Mr. Korenberg will be appointed as a member of the Audit Committee and Mr. Aryeh will be appointed as a member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, in each case subject to availability and satisfaction of the required qualifications. If a vacancy were to occur in the role of the Chairperson of the Audit Committee in the future, Mr. Korenberg will also be appointed to such role, subject to availability and satisfaction of the required qualifications.Following Mr. Barbarosh’s previously announced determination to resign on or before the 2023 Annual Meeting, the size of the Board will be reduced from nine to eight seats immediately prior to the 2023 Annual Meeting, then will increase from eight seats to 11 seats immediately following the 2023 Annual Meeting, and, finally, will be reduced from 11 to nine seats as of the earlier of the 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders or November 30, 2024.The Board will recommend the 22NW proposal to be voted on at the 2023 Annual Meeting to provide for the declassification of the Board, resulting in one-year terms for all directors beginning at the Company’s 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders. This proposal is the result of the Board’s continued evaluation of the Company’s corporate governance practices.22NW has signed a standstill and support agreement lasting through the 2025 Annual Meeting.Large stockholders Legion Partners Asset Management, LLC and Wynnefield Capital, Inc., and their respective affiliates, have entered into similar support agreements. The full text of the Agreement (and the agreements with Legion Partners and Wynnefield Capital) will be filed on Form 8-K with the SEC. Latham & Watkins LLP is acting as legal counsel to Lifecore. Humberto C. Antunes Biography Mr. Antunes is a healthcare and wellness entrepreneur in, with over 30 years of experience in the industry. Mr. Antunes has served as a Partner at Gore Range Capital LLC, a venture capital company focused on healthcare, since May 2017. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of Novaestiq, Inc., a privately owned aesthetic and medical dermatological innovations company, since June 2021. Mr. Antunes served as CEO of Nestle Skin Health S.A., a subsidiary of Nestle S.A., where he also served as a member of its board of directors, from June 2014 to December 2016. From April 2004 to December 2016, he served as CEO of Galderma Pharma S.A., a subsidiary of Nestle Skin Health S.A., where he also served as chairperson of its board of directors from June 2014 to December 2016. Prior to his time at Galderma, Mr. Antunes served as President, North America at Galderma Laboratories, L.P., from January 2001 to April 2004. Mr. Antunes received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska. Jason Aryeh Biography Mr. Aryeh has more than 20 years of equity investment experience focused on the life sciences industry. He is the Founder and Managing General Partner of JALAA Equities, LP, a private investment fund focused on the biotechnology and medical device sectors. Mr. Aryeh currently serves on the board of directors of publicly traded companies including Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: LGND) and Anebulo Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANEB), as well as on the board of directors of Orchestra BioMed, a privately held life sciences company. Since 2006, Mr. Aryeh has served as chairman of the board, on the board of directors or as a consultant to many other public and private life sciences companies and charitable foundations, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Therapeutics board. Mr. Aryeh also serves as chairman of the board of directors of Rio Grande Solar and Rio Grande Renewables, LLC, a renewable energy company he co-founded in 2009 that serves the Americas. Mr. Aryeh earned a B.A. in economics, with honors, from Colgate University, and is a member of the Omnicron Delta Epsilon Honor Society in economics. Paul H. Johnson Biography Mr. Johnson has significant CDMO experience, with over 30 years of broad and diverse executive management and board roles within the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Mr. Johnson has been a member of the board of directors of Lil’ Drug Store Products, a privately owned pharmaceutical company, since June 2005, where he also has served on the compensation committee since November 2018. Mr. Johnson has also been a member of the board of directors of Tjoapack, a privately owned CDMO company, since December 2022, where he is a member of its compensation committee, as well as executive chairman. He has also served on the board of directors of Phosphorex, a privately owned CDMO company, since January 2023. Additionally, Mr. Johnson served on the board of directors of MedPharm Ltd., a privately owned CDMO company, from November 2018 to January 2024, where he also served on its compensation committee from November 2020 to January 2024. Since 2018, Mr. Johnson has served as an Operating Partner at Ampersand Capital Partners, a private equity firm focused on healthcare companies. Prior to joining Ampersand, Mr. Johnson was President and CEO of Renaissance Pharmaceuticals, a RoundTable Healthcare Partners Company, from 2015 to 2016, and Group President and COO, from 2012 to 2015. Mr. Johnson received a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Speech Communication from the University of Texas El Paso, as well as a Masters in Business Administration from Southern Methodist University. Matthew Korenberg Biography Mr. Korenberg is a seasoned executive with significant leadership experience in the healthcare industry. He has served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: LGND) since November 2022 and prior to that as our Chief Financial Officer since August 2015. Prior to joining Ligand, Mr. Korenberg was the founder, Chief Executive Officer and a director of NeuroCircuit Therapeutics, a company focused on developing drugs to treat genetic disorders of the brain with an initial focus on Down syndrome. Prior to founding NeuroCircuit Therapeutics, Mr. Korenberg was a Managing Director and member of the healthcare investment banking team at The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. from July 1999 through August 2013. During his 14-year tenure at Goldman Sachs, he was focused on advising and financing companies in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors and was based in New York, London and San Francisco. Mr. Korenberg serves on the board, audit and compensation committees of Qualigen Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: QLGN), a company that develops and manufactures oncology-focused therapeutics and diagnostic products. Mr. Korenberg holds a B.B.A. in Finance and Accounting from the University of Michigan. About Lifecore Biomedical Lifecore Biomedical, Inc. is a fully integrated contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) that offers highly differentiated capabilities in the development, fill and finish of complex sterile injectable pharmaceutical products in syringes and vials. As a leading manufacturer of premium, injectable grade Hyaluronic Acid, Lifecore brings more than 40 years of expertise as a partner for global and emerging biopharmaceutical and biotechnology companies across multiple therapeutic categories to bring their innovations to market. For more information about the Company, visit Lifecore’s website at www.lifecore.com. Forward-Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), in connection with the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the 2023 Annual Meeting. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations about future events affecting Lifecore and are subject to risks and uncertainties, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond Lifecore’s control and could cause its actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied in its forward-looking statements as a result of various risk factors, including, but not limited to uncertainties regarding future actions that may be taken by 22NW, the potential cost and management distraction attendant to 22NW’s actions and factors discussed in the “Risk Factors” section of Lifecore’s most recent periodic reports filed with the SEC, which may be obtained for free at the SEC’s website, www.sec.gov. Although Lifecore believes that the expectations reflected in its forward-looking statements are reasonable, the Company does not know whether its expectations will prove correct. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of today’s date. Lifecore does not undertake any obligation to update, amend or clarify these statements or the “Risk Factors” contained in the Company’s reports filed with the SEC, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under the applicable securities laws. Media Contact Longacre Square PartnersJoe Germani / Aaron Rabinovichjgermani@longacresquare.com / arabinovich@longacresquare.com Investor ContactJeff Sonnek(646) 277-1263jeff.sonnek@icrinc.com

Polarized light waves spin clockwise or counterclockwise as they travel, with one direction behaving differently than the other as it interacts with molecules. This directionality, called chirality or handedness, could provide a way to identify and sort specific molecules for use in biomedicine applications, but researchers have had limited control over the direction of the waves -- until now. Polarized light waves spin clockwise or counterclockwise as they travel, with one direction behaving differently than the other as it interacts with molecules. This directionality, called chirality or handedness, could provide a way to identify and sort specific molecules for use in biomedicine applications, but researchers have had limited control over the direction of the waves -- until now. Using metamaterials, a team of electrical engineering researchers from Penn State and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) created an ultrathin optical element that can control the direction of polarized electromagnetic light waves. This new control allows researchers to not only direct the light's chirality, but also to identify the chirality of molecules by determining how polarized light interacts with them. Identifying the chirality of molecules can reveal critical information about how they will interact with other systems, such as whether specific drugs will help heal diseased or damaged tissue without harming healthy cells. The researchers published their findings in Nature Communications. Chirality refers to mirror images, like left and right hands joining in a handshake, explained Christos Argyropoulos, associate professor of electrical engineering at Penn State and co-corresponding author on the paper. In physics, among other responsibilities, chirality influences the direction that light waves spin. Argyropoulos and his colleagues fabricated an optical element, akin to a glass slide, that uses a forest of tiny, antenna-like nanorods that together create a metamaterial -- or material engineered to have specific properties not typically found in nature -- able to control the spin of light. The metamaterial nanorods appear to be shaped like the letter "L" when seen at the nanoscale. "When the light-matter interaction is mediated by the metamaterials, you can image a molecule and identify its chirality by inspecting how chiral light interacts with it," Argyropoulos said. Researchers at UNL used an emerging fabrication approach called glancing angle deposition to fabricate the optical element out of silicon. "Silicon does not substantially dissipate the incident light that was problematic with metal, which we used in previous attempts to create the element," said Ufuk Kilic, a research professor at UNL and co-corresponding author on the paper. "And silicon allowed us to adjust the shape and length of the nanopillars on the platform, which in turn allows us to change how we control the light." Identifying the chirality of molecules can have wide-ranging impacts in biomedicine, particularly in pharmaceutical drugs, which sometimes have right- or left-handed chirality, Argyropoulos explained. While a right-handed molecular structure can be effective at treating disease, the same molecule with a left-handed structure can be toxic to healthy cells. Argyropoulos mentioned the classic example of thalidomide, a drug with a chiral structure that was prescribed to women to treat morning sickness between 1957 and 1962. The right-handed molecule could appease nausea but was highly toxic to developing fetuses and caused birth defects for thousands of babies around the world. The optical element, Argyropoulos said, can quickly image the molecular structure of pharmaceuticals, allowing scientists to better understand the nuances of drug behavior. Additionally, the optical element can be used to create right- or left-handed electromagnetic waves, Argyropoulos said, which are necessary for the development and maintenance of classical and quantum communications systems, like encrypted Wi-Fi and cell phone service. "Previously, for optical communication systems, you needed big, bulky devices that only operated at one frequency," Argyropoulos said. "This new optical element is lightweight and easily tunable to multiple frequencies."